Steps property managers can take to optimize their online presence. Originally presented by Mike Whaling of 30 Lines on August 26th, 2009.
Organized by Multifamily Insiders (MultifamilyInsiders.com), and sponsored by Appfolio (Appfolio.com and PropertyManager.com).
BEST Call Girls In Old Faridabad ✨ 9773824855 ✨ Escorts Service In Delhi Ncr,
5 Steps to Get More from Your Online Marketing
1. 5 Steps to Get More From Your Online MarketingAugust 26, 2009 Twitter: #mfimktg
2. Today We Will Cover: Creating your communication Hub: How to build an effective online presence to market your business How to expand your network virtually with tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn How to make your company easily "found" by prospective residents and clients
44. What we covered today Understand your audiences, your goals. Listen first. Create your communication hubs Use other available tools Go to their turf with social media Create content worth sharing Keep at it.
45. What You Should Do NOW 1. Start listening. (Google, Twitter, Facebook) 2. Claim your real estate. (Website, listings, Facebook, Twitter) 3. Join a conversation. (Leave a comment.)
46. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a company or a campaign, you build around commonality. If it’s real people and real communities, then it’s valuable. Otherwise it’s just playing around online.”Chris Hughes – Co-founder, Facebook and New Media Director, BarackObama.com
What are you trying to communicate? Who are you trying to reach? Who are the people at your property and in your neighborhood who can help you share this message?
What should you listen for?Why does it matter?How to listen?Google Alerts – http://www.google.com/alerts - Twitter search – http://search.twitter.com/ - Filtrbox– http://filtrbox.com - OneRiot– http://oneriot.com - Radian6 – http://radian6.com - SocialMention– http://socialmention.com - Trackur– http://trackur.com
Understand relevance, sentiment, authority … then determine whether it’s worth your response. (Ex.: Horizon Realty)
Step one is an effective website, a hub of communication where you manage the message. This is where you start, where you manage the entire user experience and ultimately where you want your audience to end up.
Two great examples of websites that are becoming two-way communication hubs … the Department of Defense.
Here’s the second example: the TSA. Notice the big “Got Feedback?” button, multiple mentions of the blog, video in the sidebar, Twitter in the bottom right.
Here’s an example from the multifamily industry – the UDR corporate site (http://www.udr.com). Not bad, but there’s not nearly as much opportunity for interaction here. (Those conversations go elsewhere, like ApartmentRatings.com.)
Make sure your communication hub is doing everything it can … http://websitegrader.comAlso, GoogleAnalytics – http://www.google.com/analytics - Google Website Optimizer – http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer
Maybe include the links to these local listing sites so when we record and playback the presentation there are good links to use?Google Local – http://local.google.com :: Bing Local Listing Center - https://ssl.bing.com/listings/ListingCenter.aspx :: Yahoo! Local – http://listings.local.yahoo.com/csubmit/index.php ::Yellow Pages – http://yellowpages.com :: Yelp – http://biz.yelp.com :: Kudzu - https://register.kudzu.com/packageSelect.do :: GetListed - http://getlisted.org
http://www.google.com/local/add
Good data available from PPC ad campaigns (Google AdWords: http://adwords.google.com) – keyword traffic, etc. ILS sites – New sites pop up all the time, but you don’t need to be everywhere. Understand which ones are working in your market. Otherfree classifieds – BackPage, Google Base, Oodle. Lots of Tools to Help - Vflyer, Postlets, RentSentinel, ILSs, MyNewPlace, even our sponsor Appfolio. Notere: Craigslist (and all of these free tools, really). Understand their sub-culture. Follow the rules. Don’t abuse them, but rather let them work for you.
Lots of options, but you don’t need to be everywhere. START WITH THREE.
Note re: Facebook. Nearly 300 million users, so it makes sense to be there. But again, play by their rules. Fan pages vs. personal profiles. This example – personal page, boring information, only friends with industry people… which brings us to…
Be interested. Be interesting. Create content worth sharing.
Use the blog as a resident newsletter - http://blog.homeisaustinsprings.com
Or create opportunities to reach beyond your property and out to the local community – http://www.urbaneblog.com
Apartment Finder recently launched a blogging and social media service called Community Sherpa … here’s an example of one of their sites. I’m looking forward to seeing if this is able to generate the traffic and buzz for their clients’ properties. http://www.community-sherpa.com
From the HubSpot blog: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/5014/Study-Shows-Small-Businesses-That-Blog-Get-55-More-Website-Visitors.aspx
Why would I as a prospect want to interact with this account?
As an alternative, check out the interaction on Lisa Trosien’s Facebook page. Lots of great content, contributions from her audience. http://facebook.com/apartmentexpert - Think about the needs of your audience … find ways to be their information concierge.
Surfing Nosara - Real estate blog in Costa Rica, shared by Eric Wu of RentWiki. 1) Focus on relevant and real-time content.2) Be authentic. 3) Be passionate about what he is doing. 4) Use marketing channels as means to communicate, not sell. http://surfingnosara.com - http://www.sharpio.com/5-things-you-can-learn-from-surfingnosaracom/
More content worth sharing … focus on multimedia (to respond to trends in search). Both photos and video here on one site - http://blogsouthwest.com
What metrics are you using to track your success online? Website traffic,Leads generated, Ranking in search engine results, Mentions on other sites/blogs, Followers/Fans/Friends, Audience engagement (Comments, likes, retweets, etc.)
Woody Allen once said…
Why does this matter? It’s not likely that you’ll stay fit if you stop working out. (Liposuction vs. working out.) It is a long journey to build this out, not just quick hits of "did you want to rent today." Building a brand identity that is the right one and will be a good match for your current and prospective clients takes time and ongoing, consistent effort.
We have an advantage, because we create commonality in our communities. Leverage that commonality, give your audience the information and the experience they appreciate, and you’ll find it will come back to you many times over.
Apartment Chat (#AptChat), every Friday at 4 pm Eastern - http://facebook.com/aptchat
Where to contact 30 Lines: Mike Whaling, 386.795.8000, http://30lines.com - http://facebook.30lines.com - http://twitter.com/30lines
Places where property managers should start: http://multifamilyinsiders.com - http://propertymanager.com - http://apartmentmarketingblog.com - http://theapartmentnerd.com - http://behindtheleasingdesk.com - http://apartmentveteran.com